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4 Ways to Handle Stress

As summer comes to a close, we prepare to enter one of the busiest and most stressful times of the year. Even if you don’t have children that are heading back to school and aren’t a student yourself, the first couple weeks of September tend to be a very stressful time for everyone. There is an atmospheric shift in our environment as the long, lazy days of beaches and barbecues give way to the pressures of schedules and deadlines. This stress is often compounded by back-to-school traffic, where it seems as though there are twice as many cars on the road and everyone has forgotten how to drive.

We all know that stress has profound negative effects on our body and mind, but for most of us, dealing with stress in a healthy way doesn’t come naturally. If not dealt with, stress can become overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve compiled a few different ways to help make stressful situations a little less stressful.

4 Ways to Handle Stress

1. The “B” Setting

It wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t start this post off with the benefits of In Light Wellness Systems’ ‘B’ Setting. Depending on who you talk to, the ‘B’ setting has been referred to as the bedtime setting, the relaxation setting, the meditation setting, and even the “super awesome I’ve never been more relaxed and actually slept all night” setting. This is because the people behind these amazing devices have put years and years of research into developing the “perfect” setting to assist our bodies in making the switch from the hectic Fight or Flight mode of daily living (fueled by the Sympathetic Nervous System)to the Rest and Digest mode needed to relax (the Parasympathetic Nervous System). (You can read more about these divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System HERE.)

To get the best results from the “super awesome B” setting, carefully consider your pad placement locations; choosing to target specific areas prone to stress, or the autonomic nervous system as a whole.

Place the local pad centrally over the chest, place the body pad either vertically up the spine, or horizontally across the lower back, with the eyemask over the eyes.

Using the ‘B’ setting on regular basis will help your body adjust easier to the everyday stresses.

2. Mindfulness

Usually, stressful situations happen when we’re not in a position to utilize our light devices. At work, while driving or while running errands, stressful situations can happen in an instant and before we know it, we’re overcome with the negative emotions stress brings and the rest of our day is ruined by it. But taking a few minutes to pause and make yourself aware of the situation and your own emotions surrounding it can make a lot of difference.

When you find yourself in a stressful situation where your emotions are running high, find a few moments of solitude to reflect and look upon the situation as an outsider would. Be aware of what has caused the stress and what your emotional reaction is. When you have figured those out, a simple and non-judgemental affirmation allowing yourself to feel those emotions can help rebalance them and prepare you to face the rest of your day in a more positive manner. You can try an “of course” affirmation like this:

“Of course! Of course I feel this way, because if I’m late for this meeting, I’m worried my boss will fire me.”

“Of course I feel this way! Last time this happened, we lost the account.”

“Of course I’m angry! I have all this work to do and now no one to help me.”

3. 5-Minute Meditation

For those of us that aren’t particularly fond of meditation, or feel it’s a waste of time, mini-meditation sessions just might be exactly what we’re looking for. They are short enough to feel like we’re not wasting precious time, but powerful enough to help us feel more centered. They can also be done almost anywhere.

Dartmouth Health & Wellness has a wealth of meditation resources that you can listen to online or download (for free) to add to your personal MP3 player. While some are slightly longer or shorter than 5 minutes, all are under 10 minutes and can be done virtually anywhere, with or without the audio support once you know what you’re doing. Here are some of our favorites, (click on the links below to listen to the audio file):

4. Cognitive Control

It is no secret that an unexpected negative event can compound stressful feelings, but did you know that a person can react differently to the same event depending on whether they had advanced warning about it? Psychologists describe this as ‘Cognitive Control’. It’s a fact: knowing what to expect gives you the illusion of control over the situation. With even a little bit of information, we feel more in control and have better outcomes than those that don’t have the same information. While we aren’t always in a position to have advanced knowledge of specific situations, simply knowing that the beginning weeks of September is always stressful and that there will be more cars on the road next week, puts in you in a better position to be able to handle these things.

Stress is unavoidable, but learning how to manage it can drastically improve your quality of life.

Have these tips helped you? Have other ways to manage stress? We’d love to hear about it!

Disclaimer: The content of this website is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be construed as such. Light devices are not intended to cure, treat, or prevent any disease or illness. If you have a disease or illness, consult with your physician or health care provider prior to using any light device. Use only as directed by manufacturer.